San Francisco Cabaret Opera
Harriet March Page, Artistic Director
Past Productions
- MARCH 2010
WORLD PREMIERE
SEX AND THE BIBLE: THE OPERA - a 75-minute cabaret opera based on the Old Testament by way of Las Vegas. Mark Alburger, composer/librettist.
Two Weekends: March 5, 6 ,7, 12, 13, and 14, 2010
Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm
Sunday at 7pm
Location: Community Music Center, 544 Capp Street, San Francisco
About the show
Composer Mark Alburger and director Harriet March Page have retooled these Biblical scenarios into a contemporary Sin City of Las Vegas, featuring Heavenly Emcee and a cast of familiar Satanic Lounge Lizards, suspicious Godfather Patriarchs, alluring Femmes Fatales, and Trailer Trash Hangers-On. From the Stonewall Ashes of Sodom and Gomorrah through the Action Hero Governor of Samson and Delilah, other allusions are brought into the mix, via Alburger's eclectic, postminimal, style-appropriating score and Page's creative staging in this WORLD PREMIERE production featuring sextets of singers and instrumentalists in a minimum-clothing-optional environment reflecting the iconography of millennia.
“Alburger’s music blows the dust out of the ears of opera-goers….superior to several far more elaborate and expensive modern operas.” -- Jeff Kaliss, Commuter Times
The Cast
- OCTOBER 2009
Solidarity, a chamber opera by Patrick Dailly
WORLD PREMIERE
This 75-minute cabaret opera features singers, commedia, clowns, and a Pit Band with Accordion. Based on real events of the Polish Solidarity Movement and imposition of Martial Law.
Sunday, September 27, 7:00pm
Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Avenue, North Berkeley
Tickets $15/$20 through PayPal or call 415-289-6877 for a phone reservation.
Saturdays, October 3 and 10, 8:00pm and Sunday, October 11, 7:00pm
Flux53 Theater/Artspace, 5300-5312 Foothill Blvd., Oakland, CA 94601 (near Mills College)
Tickets $15/$20 through PayPal or call 415-289-6877 for a phone reservation.
Solidarity is about the birth of the Solidarity movement in Poland up to the imposition of martial law in 1982. It is conceived of as a play within a play, presented as a circus cabaret with minimal props and costumes to suggest the characters; the real events and people depicted in the opera will be projected onto the back of the stage.
The Cast
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JUNE 2009
FRESH VOICES IX: FESTIVAL OF NEW & USED OPERAS – Part III
Two Weekends in Hell
Weekend One
The Old Maid and the Thief, a Grotesque Opera in 14 Scenes
Music and libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti
No Exit, an Opera in One Act
Music by Zachary M. Watkins - Adapted from the play by Jean-Paul Sartre
Dates
Friday, June 12-14, 2009
Cast
Meghan Dibble as Inez / Miss Todd, Michelle Jasso as Miss Pinkerton, James McGoff as Bob, Suzanna Mizell as Leticia, Jennifer Muhawi as Estelle, Wayne Wong as Garcin, Hadley McCarroll, Music Director, Harriet March Page, Stage Director
Location
Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley
Weekend Two
*WORLD PREMIERE*
Inferno
The Second Circle of Hell: The Lustful, a Chamber Opera
Music by Peter Josheff, Libretto by Jaime Robles - Based on the story of Paolo and Francesca from Dante's Commedia.
Dates
Wednesday, June 17-18, 21, 2009
Cast
Eliza O'Malley as Francesca, Adam Flowers as Paolo, Richard Mix as Hell's Wind, Eric Zivian, piano, Harriet March Page, Stage Director, Peter Josheff, Music Director, Jenny McAllister, Choreographer, with dancers from Huckabay-McAllister Dance, Delayne Medoff, Lighting Designer
Location
Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley
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MAY 2009
FRESH VOICES IX: FESTIVAL OF NEW OPERAS & SONGS
Three Evenings and One Afternoon in Hell: Or Is It Heaven?
. "Rash Acts and their Consequences"
. "Yearning to Touch a Loved One: Dead or Alive!"
Two Programs
Program A on Friday and Saturday, May 22 and 23, 8:00 pm
Program B on Sunday, May 24, 3:00 pm and 7:30 pm
Program A
May 22 and 23 - Friday and Saturday at 8 pm
The Operas
. Greg Bartholomew's Razumov with singers Tristan Robben, Peter Lindh, Mark Narins
. Paul Siskind/Alan Steinberg's The Sailor-Boy and the Falcon with singers William Loney, Georgia Duan
. Mark Alburger's Sex and Delilah with singers Maria Mikheyenko, Nanette McGuinness, Kristen Brown, Mark Alburger
. Stefan Weisman/David Cote's Fade with singers Jason Sarten, Eileen Meredith, Alix Jerinic
. Nolan Stolz's The Touch with singers Dalyte Kodzis, William Loney, Mark Narins
The Songs
. Robinson McClellan's Prodigal Songs with singers Rachel Warner, Sarah Sloan, Kate Howell
. Jean Ahn/Hillary Gravendyk Burrill's Open with singer Nanette McGuinness
. Gary Friedman/Carol Elizabeth Sarah Norton's I Do Not Love Thee Three Ways with singer Megan Stetson
. Cynthia Weyuker's Eriskay Love Lilt with singer Cynthia Weyuker
Program B
May 24 - Sunday at 3 pm and repeated at 7:30 pm
The Operas
. Sheli Nan's Saga with singers Meghan Dibble, Eliza O'Malley, Jo Vincent Parks
. Veronika Krausas' The Mortal Thoughts of Lady Macbeth with singers Michelle Jasso, Kristen Brown, Julia Hathaway, Sarah-Nicole Ruddy
. David Heuser/Gary S. Albright's The Golden Ax with singers Indre Viskontas, Wayne Wong
. Lan-chee LAM/Michael Albano's The Lady Doth Protest Too Much with singers Rachel Warner, Edward Coverdale + CHORUS
. Chris Pratorius' Roxane de Boveda with singers C.A. Jordan, Joaquin Quilez-Marin, Cecily Greaburn, Zoltan Lundy
The Songs
. Edward Knight/M.J. Alexander's Tales Not Told with singers Cary Rosko, Elizabeth Henry, Dalyte Kodzis, Indre Viskontas, Kristen Brown, Harriet March Page
. Warren Gooch's Songs of Academe with singers Cary Rosko, Elizabeth Henry + TUBA
Cast
May 22, 23: Mark Alburger, Kristen Brown, Georgia Duan, Kate Howell, Alix Jerinic, Dalyte Kodzis, Peter Lindh, William Loney, Nanette McGuinness, Eileen Meredith, Maria Mikheyenko, Mark Narins, Tristan Robben, Jason Sarten, Sarah Sloan, Megan Stetson, Rachel Warner, Cynthia Weyuker
May 24: Kristen Brown, Edward Coverdale, Meghan Dibble, Cecily Graburn, Julia Hathaway, Elizabeth Henry, Michelle Jasso, C.A. Jordan, Dalyte Kodzis, Zoltan Lundy, Eliza O'Malley, Harriet March Page, Jo Vincent Parks, Joaquin Quilez-Marin, Cary Rosko, Sarah-Nicole Ruddy, Indre Viskontas, Rachel Warner, Wayne Wong
Location
Community Music Center 544 Capp Street, San Francisco
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APRIL 2009
Fresh Voices IX Festival of New and Used Operas – Part I
The Prophetess: or, The History of Dioclesian
Music by Henry Purcell - Drama adapted from Fletcher and Massinger's The Prophetess
Diocletian, a Pagan Opera
Music by Mark Alburger - Based on Edward Gibbon's Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire
Purcell’s fantastical history and masque depicting the rise of the Emperor Diocles is paired with Alburger’s relentlessly real history which involves Diocles throwing his wife to the lions (or not).Nine beautiful women in an all-female cast tell the story of the Roman Emperor Dioclesian/Diocletian, and make love and war with exquisite arias and choruses, quarterstaffs and hand-to-hand combat. First Part and Masque (the Fantasy) by Purcell; Intermezzo (the Real History) by Mark Alburger.
Dates and Times
Friday & Saturday, April 17 & 18, 2009 at 8:00 pm
Sunday, April 19, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Friday & Saturday, April 24 & 25, 2009 at 8:00pm
Sunday, April 26, 2009 at 5:00pm
Performers
Kimberly Anderman, Annemarie Ballinger, Alison Collins, Kat Cornelius, Robin Costa, Alexandra Jerinic, Erin Lahm, Maria Mikheyenko, Indre Viskontas
Harriet March Page, Artistic/Stage Director
Mark Alburger, Music Director
Durand Garcia, Fight Director
Skye Atman (April 17-19) and Alexander Katsman, pianist (April 24-26)
Location
NOHspace, 2840 Mariposa St., at Theatre Artaud, Potrero Hill, SF
Tickets
General Seating $20.00; Student/Senior $15.00
Please note there are no cabaret tables available at this location.-
MARCH 2009
Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, an erotic adventure in Italian, double cast, fully-staged, cabaret style. Free pink champagne and sweet desserts served at your table by costumed cast!
Enjoy Mozart and Pink Champagne at Le nozze di Figaro
General seating is also available with refreshments accessible to all. Come alone or with a group and enjoy a special event.
Friday, March 6, 2009; 8:00 pm
Sunday, March 8, 2009; 4:00 pm
Community Music Center, 544 Capp St., San Francisco
Parking is available at the Mission-Bartlett Garage, 3255 21st Street, between Mission and Valencia.
Table for 4 ($100), Table for 3 ($75), Table for 2 ($50), Table for 1 ($25), $15 general seating, $10 senior/student
Friday, March 13, 2009; 8:00 pm
Sunday, March 15, 2009; 2:00 pm
The Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St., Berkeley
Table for 4 ($120), Table for 3 ($90), Table for 2 ($60), Table for 1 ($30), $20 general seating, $15 senior/student
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DECEMBER 2008
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Holiday Party and Gift Wrapping Extravaganza Benefit
7:00 pm
Chamber Arts House, 2924 Ashby Avenue, Berkeley
Bring your gifts to wrap--We'll provide wrapping paper. Plus we'll bring cloth and a sewing machine for sew-it-yourself gift bags. Hot cider! Hot chocolate with marshmallows! Desserts! Caroling sing-a-long!
$30.00 tax-deductable donation per person ($5.00 off if you bring a dessert to share!)
RSVP to Eliza O'Malley at elizaomalley@prodegy.net
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NOVEMBER 2008
Opera Apocalypse!
Tickets can be purchased online at www.wehavemet.org or over the phone at 415-289-6877West Coast Premieres of 3 One-Acts:
. Amy Beth Kirsten’s Ophelia Forever (three faces of Ophelia – a nonlinear probe into the multiple personalities of Hamlet’s girlfriend, contemplating suicide on the banks of a ravaged river.) Text from Shakespeare, Baudelaire, Rimbaud, and Christina Rossetti.
. John G. Bilotta/John F. McGrew’s Quantum Mechanic – A Stringy Fable from the Future (featuring the Quark Sisters – a Greek Chorus trio from a parallel universe – beyond post-apocalyptic; quantum physics rediscovered in the bowels of a broken refrigerator.
. Mark Alburger’s Antigone (“I must bury my brother”) – from Sophocles (righteousness gone mad in a post-apocalyptic world; Mad Max meets Brunnhilde; world leaders hanging by threads – in the hands of the Greek Chorus!
AMAZING POST-APOCALYPTIC CONCEPT THAT WILL KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF (IF YOU’RE WEARING ANY). THIS IS A MUST-SEE SHOW!
Six Performance Dates
. Friday, Nov 7 with Eliza O'Malley (Antigone) @ 8 pm @ The Next Stage @ Trinity Church, 1620 Gough St @ Bush, SF
. Saturday, Nov 8 with Leticia Page (Antigone) at 8 pm @ The Next Stage @ Trinity Church, 1620 Gough St @ Bush, SF
. Sunday, Nov 9 with Eliza O'Malley (Antigone) at 8 pm @ The Next Stage @ Trinity Church, 1620 Gough St @ Bush, SF
. Friday, Nov 14 with Leticia Page (Antigone) at 8 pm @ Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave, Oakland
. Saturday, Nov 15 with Leticia Page (Antigone) at 7:30 pm @ Temple United Methodist Church, 1111 Junipero Serra Blvd. @ 19th Ave, SF
. Sunday, Nov 16 with Eliza O'Malley (Antigone) at 7 pm @ Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave, Oakland
Chapel of the Chimes productions are sponsored in part by
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SEPTEMBER 2008
SAN FRANCISCO CABARET GRAND OPERA BENEFIT CONCERTThis Concert is the Grand Beginning of our 2008-2009 Season. Please come and bring a bunch of people with you. There will be a Champagne reception after each show. And, of course, you will have a chance to meet the singers and socialize. Remember, this one is for you! And us, of course. PROFESSIONAL OPERA SINGERS, ARIAS AND DUETS FROM PUCCINI, MOZART, VERDI, DONIZETTI and MORE (PLUS A TASTE OF THE 20TH CENTURY)
. Saturday, September 6, 8 pm
. Sunday, September 7, 4 pm
. Friday, September 12, 7:30 pm
. Sunday, September 14, 4 pmCommunity Music Center, 544 Capp Street (between Mission and South Van Ness; between 21st and 22nd Sts., San Francisco)
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Sunday, May 25, 2008 1:30 pm
St. Gregory Nyssen Church
500 De Haro Street, San Francisco
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San Francisco Cabaret Opera presents scenes from Die Fledermaus and La Boheme, and Project Opera’s Pagliacci. Music Director, Pianist, Robert Ashens.
Goat Hall’s San Francisco Cabaret Opera is excited about this opera concert since it includes not only scenes and arias but also Project Opera’s PAGLIACCI, a great comedia piece perfect for SFCO’s style of cabaret tables and intimate contact with the audience. Robert Ashens is the music director of Pagliacci, and Ross Halper the stage director. The cast includes Todd Donovan (Tonio), Anders Froehlich (Silvio), Ross Halper (Beppe), Mark Narins (Canio) and Eliza O’Malley (Nedda). Die Fledermaus and La Boheme feature Letitia C. Page (Mimi, Rosalinda), Rachel Deatherage (Adele, Musetta) and Harriet March Page (Orlovsky), as well as some of the Pagliacci singers.
An Afternoon of Cabaret Opera
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Sunday, May 25, 2008 1:30 pm
- Come to the Cabarets—Every other last Sunday of the month
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- Hallowe’en Party
Sunday, October 29, 2006, 8:00 PM -
The Three Weird Sisters host a Walpurgisnacht of spoken word and music on the dark side. Come in costume!
- Hallowe’en Party
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- Operetta for New Year’s Eve
Sunday, December 31, 2006, 8:00 PM -
Celebrate the New Year with friends and beautiful music from The Merry Widow, Die Fledermaus, Candide, Beggar’s Opera, and more—sung by company members and surprise guests.
- Operetta for New Year’s Eve
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- 2nd Annual Musical Matchmaker Event for Fresh Voices VII
Sunday, February 25, 2007, 2:00 PM -
Composers present excerpts of their operas, singers present their vocal talents, the two groups seek each other out and before you know it Fresh Voices VII is cast. An exciting event to which you are seriously invited.
- 2nd Annual Musical Matchmaker Event for Fresh Voices VII
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- Easter Hangover
Sunday, April 29, 2007, 2:00 PM -
Eclectic spiritual works from religious texts by composers mark Alburger, John partridge, and others. A revelatory experience.
- Easter Hangover
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- Exciting Main Events
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- Fresh Voices VII Festival of New Music
Fridays, June 15, 22; Saturday, June 16; Sunday, June 24 (last Sunday of the month!) -
Our acclaimed annual presentation of fully produced new operas by Bay Area composers and librettists returns to Goat hall for four performances in June 2007.
- Fresh Voices VII Festival of New Music
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- Goat Hall Productions Premieres new Works:
Dionysus and Playboy of the Western World
Oakland Metro Opera House @ Jack London Square
201 Broadway, Oakland
August 23—26, 2007 -
The opera Dionysus, music by Steven Clark with words from several ancient texts, explores the many aspects of the androgynous and seductive God of Wine and Madness, focusing on the ancient pagan religion or Mystery Cult in which Dionysus was worshiped as a God of seasonal death and rebirth, sexuality, and dark earth-magic.The score of the opera will include ancient Greek instruments and practices, modern opera and musical theater, as well as rock and electronic music. Graphic-novelesque designs, video projections and live multi-instrumentalists will be employed as well.
In Playboy of the Western World, music by Mark Alburger from the play by J.M. Synge, the composer combines vernacular and cultivated traditions in a world of tuneful yet twisted melodies mapped onto pre-existent musical structures in a post-minimalist context. Playboy is an Oedipal/Monty Pythonesque/coming-of-age fairytale of love and loss. It takes place in a three-ring-circus barroom where musical suggestions of Irish drinking songs appear throughout. Further, the opera will be performed in the Oakland Metro Operahouse, an actual bar/theater space.
- Goat Hall Productions Premieres new Works:
Dionysus and Playboy of the Western World
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- Goats Gambol with Friends
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- Harden Not Your Hearts
Trinity episcopal Church, San Francisco (a benefit for GHP)
November 10, 2006, 7:00 PM
El Cerrito United Methodist Church, El Cerrito
November 12, 2006, 8:00 PM -
An Oratorio by John Partridge.
- Harden Not Your Hearts
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- Cats, Dogs, & Divas
Women on the Way Festival
Dance Mission
3316 24th St. @ Mission St., San Francisco January 18—19, 2007, 8:00 PM -
Mark Alburger/Harriet March Page’s powerful, moving and often humorous story of three ages of woman (child, mother, crone) will be performed at the Women on the Way Festival.
- Cats, Dogs, & Divas
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- Halfway Mark
Old First Church
1725 Sacramento St. @ Van Ness, San Francisco Friday, April 20, 2007, 8:00 PM -
A 50th-Anniversary Concert/Party of music by Mark Alburger featuring members of San Francisco Composers Chamber Orchestra and Goat Hall Productions. For information call Old First Church Box Office at 415-474-1608. This performance is a benefit for GHP and SFCCO.
- Halfway Mark
Old First Church
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- Goat Hall Productions Premieres new Works:
Dionysus and Playboy of the Western World
Oakland Metro Opera House @ Jack London Square
201 Broadway, Oakland
August 23—26, 2007 -
The opera Dionysus, music by Steven Clark with words from several ancient texts, explores the many aspects of the androgynous and seductive God of Wine and Madness, focusing on the ancient pagan religion or Mystery Cult in which Dionysus was worshiped as a God of seasonal death and rebirth, sexuality, and dark earth-magic.The score of the opera will include ancient Greek instruments and practices, modern opera and musical theater, as well as rock and electronic music. Graphic-novelesque designs, video projections and live multi-instrumentalists will be employed as well.
In Playboy of the Western World, music by Mark Alburger from the play by J.M. Synge, the composer combines vernacular and cultivated traditions in a world of tuneful yet twisted melodies mapped onto pre-existent musical structures in a post-minimalist context. Playboy is an Oedipal/Monty Pythonesque/coming-of-age fairytale of love and loss. It takes place in a three-ring-circus barroom where musical suggestions of Irish drinking songs appear throughout. Further, the opera will be performed in the Oakland Metro Operahouse, an actual bar/theater space.
- Goat Hall Productions Premieres new Works:
Dionysus and Playboy of the Western World
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- Fresh Voices VII Festival of New Music
Fridays, June 15, 22; Saturday, June 16; Sunday, June 24 (last Sunday of the month!) -
Our acclaimed annual presentation of fully produced new operas by Bay Area composers and librettists returns to Goat hall for four performances in June 2007.
- Fresh Voices VII Festival of New Music
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- Easter Hangover
Sunday, April 29, 2007, 2:00 PM -
Eclectic spiritual works from religious texts by composers mark Alburger, John partridge, and others. A revelatory experience.
- Easter Hangover
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- 2nd Annual Musical Matchmaker Event for Fresh Voices VII
Sunday, February 25, 2007, 2:00 PM -
Composers present excerpts of their operas, singers present their vocal talents, the two groups seek each other out and before you know it Fresh Voices VII is cast. An exciting event to which you are seriously invited.
- 2nd Annual Musical Matchmaker Event for Fresh Voices VII
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- Cats, Dogs, & Divas at the Women on the Way Festival
January 18—19, 2007, 8:00 PM -
Mark Alburger/Harriet March Page’s powerful, moving and often humorous story of three ages of woman (child, mother, crone) will be performed at the Women on the Way Festival.
- Cats, Dogs, & Divas at the Women on the Way Festival
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Fresh Voices VI
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A whole festival!:
“Pipers and Puppets” part A - May 18th, 7:30 PM; May 19th and 20th, 8:00 PM
Songs for the 21st Century - May 21st, 5:00 PM
“Pipers and Puppets” part B - May 25th, 7:30 PM; May 26th and 27th, 8:00 PM
NOW Festival - May 28th, 5:00 PMAll performances will be held at Thick House
1695 18th Street (Potrero Hill)
San Francisco
Box Office (415) 401-8081Fresh Voices VI appears at Thick House as part of Thick Description's 2006 Presenting Program
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For the sixth season, GHP is proud to present our Fresh Voices Festival— fully staged works and excerpts of new theater music by local talents. As in previous years, we will have two distinct programs offered on consecutive weekends. In addition, there will be two new offerings: a program of theater songs, and the NOW festival— composers from all over the world flying in to present their own works.
Featured composers: Mark Alburger, John Beeman, Dawn Chambers, Steven Clark, Allan Crossman, Gary Friedman, Brian Holmes, Elizabeth Lim, D. C. Meckler, John Partridge, Lisa Scola Prosek, and Connie TylerProgram Listings
“Pipers & Puppets” — Program A:
- Leonardo’s Notebooks
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Music and libretto by Lisa Scola Prosek
Directed by Jim Cave - Amok Time
- Music and words by Steven Clark
- Dear Composer
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Music and words by John Beeman
A four-minute opera - The Pied Piper of Hamelin
- Music and libretto by Mark Alburger, after the poem by Robert Browning
“Pipers & Puppets” — Program B:
- Tales of the Cultural Revolution and The Fashion God
- Music and words by Brian Holmes
- Eye Eye Sailor
- Music and words by Steven Clark and Michael Wertz
- The Music Department
- Music and words by Allan Crossman
- Cats, Dogs & Divas
- Music by Mark Alburger, words by Harriet March Page
- Joan of Arc: Fear of the Fire (scene from Act III)
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Music and libretto by John Partridge
Directed by Bill Sevald - Brigid, Fiery Arrow
- Music and words by Connie Tyler
- PRESS:
Click here to download: - Calendar Listing
- Press release
- Pictures
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Fresh Voices VI
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- Composer Bash & Birthday Party Cabaret Fundraiser for Fresh Voices VI
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Two evenings at Goat Hall:
Saturday, Feb. 25th, 8:00 PM (Composers Mark Alburger, Allan Crossman, Steven Clark, Lisa Prosek)
Sunday, Feb. 26th, 7:00 PM (Composers Brian Holmes, John Partridge, Connie Tyler)
Plus surprise guests! -
It’s Harriet’s birthday! Help us celebrate in Goat Hall Cabaret Style while we prepare for our upcoming Fresh Voices VI in May. See below.
Supporters tables available:
3-4 persons, $150; 1-2 persons, $75; additional additional persons $25 each.
Email Harriet at Harriet@goathall.org if you are interested, or call 415-289-6877
You may also donate at the door if you don’t need a table!
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- Fresh Voices V
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Two programs:
Program A: “Myths and Archetypes” August 20, 21, 22
Program B: “On the Western Edge” August 27, 28, 29
Fridays & Saturdays at 8 PM, Sundays at 7 PM
All performances will be held at Thick House
1695 18th Street (Potrero Hill)
San Francisco -
For the fifth season, GHP is proud to present our Fresh Voices Festival— fully staged works and excerpts of new theater music by local talents. Two distinct programs are offered on consecutive weekends. Featured composers: Mark Alburger, Steven Clark, Sanford Dole, Brian Holmes, Peter Josheff, Michael Kimbell, and Lisa Scola Prosek.
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- Stephen Sondheim: “A Little Night Music”
- November 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23 at Goat Hall
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Sondheim’s magical reworking of Ingmar Bergman’s Smiles of a Summer Night captured Broadway in 1973, and Sondheim aficionados rank it among his best. Entirely written in ¾ time, this musical romance is, in Clive Barnes’ words, “heady, civilized, enchanting.” Directed by Harriet March Page; choreographed by Dean Loumbas.
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Double bill:
Francis Poulenc: “Les Mamelles de Tirésias” (The Breasts of Tiresias)
after the play by Guillaume Apollinaire
and
Ralph Vaughan Williams: “Riders to the Sea”
(A co-production with Solo Opera) - May 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, Fridays & Saturdays at 8 PM, Sunday May 11 at 2 PM (special Mother’s Day matinee!), Sun at 7 PM at Goat Hall
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In just 70 minutes of stage time, this 1944 opera— a mad burlesque on the Greek myth of bi-gendered Tiresias— gives us a woman who becomes a man with grandiose ambitions, a man who bears 40,000 babies in a day, and a Riviera resort town with an instant population problem... all wrapped up in some of Poulenc’s most delicious and sophisticated music. Don’t miss this rarely performed gem, sung in English and staged in GHP’s inimitable style. Directed by Vicky Holder.
Riders is the composer’s masterly setting of the one-act play by J. M. Synge about Irish fisherfolk in the remote, storm-battered Aran Islands. Set at the turn of the 20th century, it’s a tragic snapshot of one family— mother Maurya, her daughters, and the sons and brothers they lose to the cruel, seductive, indifferent sea. Simon Mundy calls it “the finest and most concentrated of Vaughan Williams’ works for the stage.” Directed by Sylvia Amorino, with Harriet March Page as Maurya.
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Double bill:
Francis Poulenc: “Les Mamelles de Tirésias” (The Breasts of Tiresias)
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- Fresh Voices IV
- July 25, 26, 27 Friday & Saturday at 8 PM, Sunday at 7 PM at Goat Hall
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GHP’s annual summer festival of new works and works in progress returns, with exciting new music from composers Mark Alburger (GHP Music Director) and Lisa Scola Prosek, among others. Be part of our fourth season of presenting original operas and music theater by Bay Area creators.
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- Tom Lehrer: “Tomfoolery”
- February 15 - March 16 Fridays & Saturdays at 8 PM, Sundays at 2 and 7 PM at Goat Hall
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Goat Hall Productions welcomes OpenStage Repertory Theater as they present this hilarious revue based on Tom Lehrer’s satirical songs written in the ’50s and ’60s, which he performed at sold-out concerts for audiences around the world. Hardly politically correct, but still relevant after all these years, songs like The Masochism Tango, National Brotherhood Week, Poisoning Pigeons in the Park and The Vatican Rag will leave you laughing with delight!
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- Gian-Carlo Menotti: “Amahl and the Night Visitors”
- December 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15 Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 PM, Sundays at 2 PM at Goat Hall
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Amahl returns! For three years, our holiday production of Menotti’s beloved classic (and Christmas carol sing-along) won the hearts of Potrero Hill and Bay Area audiences. After a two-year hiatus, we’re bringing back Amahl, his long-suffering Mother, and the Three Kings to perform holiday miracles once more.
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- A Caberet Opera performance of Leonard Bernstein’s “Candide”
- October 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, November 1, 2, 3, Fridays & Saturdays at 8 PM, Sundays at 7 PM at Goat Hall
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Is it opera or musical theater? No matter because everyone adores Leonard Bernstein’s frothy, funny, and heartbreaking score for Candide. On his “hero’s journey,” Candide careens through perils both absurd and terrifying, finally arriving at loving wisdom. Our semi-staged production puts the focus on Bernstein’s gorgeous music and witty lyrics.
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- Fresh Voices III
- July 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28, Fridays & Saturdays at 8 PM, Sundays at 7 PM at Goat Hall
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For the third season, GHP is proud to present out Fresh Voices Festival— fully staged works and excerpts of new theater music and songs by local talents. Two distinct programs are offered on consecutive weekends; special ticket prices for both weekends. Featured composers: Mark Alburger, Lisa Scola Prosek, DC Meckler, Nancy Bloomer-Deussen, Sondra Clark, David Famiano, Laurie Griswold, Bob Hall, Hugh Livingston, Douglas Mandell, and Helena Michaelson.
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- Sarah Michael: Arachne
- May 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, Saturdays at 8 PM, Sundays at 7 PM at Goat Hall
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Michael’s chamber opera retells the myth of Arachne, who challenged the goddess of weaving to a contest of skill. Provoked by the nymphs Magenta, Cyan and Yellow, and advised by the crones Martha and Mona, Arachne and Athena move throught the stages of the drama with authority and grace, to the inevitable ending of the ancient tale. This is the work’s first fully staged production. Directed by Harriet March Page, conducted by Dr. Kathleen McGuire, conductor of the SF Gay Men’s Chorus.
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- Leonard Bernstein: Bernstein Banquet, An Evening of Songs and Scenes
- Friday, March 8th and Saturday March 9th, 8 PM at Goat Hall
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GHP company members treat you to an elegant “supper show” featuring one of our favorite music theater composers: Leonard Bernstein. On the program will be Bernstein song cycles such as the delicious “La Bonne Cuisine” (aka Recipe Songs) as well as excerpts from West Side Story, Trouble in Tahiti, and a taste of this fall’s Candide. Refreshments served!
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- Gian-Carlo Menotti: “The Consul”
- November 2-4, 9-11, 15, 16-18 at Goat Hall
- Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 2 pm
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Menotti’s Pulitzer Prizewinning opera, premiered in 1950.
The music world celebrates Menotti’s 90th birthday in 2001. Menotti’s chamber operas have been a focus of GHP since our founding. This is our first production of his only full-length opera— a haunting tale of desperate refugees at the mercy of a soulless state, and hauntingly appropriate for this moment in history.
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- “Fresh Voices II”
- Our second annual set of programs premiering new music by Bay area composers and librettists
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- Two Different Programs:
- Friday & Saturday, July 20 & 21, 8 pm and Sunday, July 22, 7 pm at Goat Hall
- Friday & Saturday, August 3 & 4, 8 pm and Sunday, August 5, 7 pm at Goat Hall
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- Mark Alburger/Mel Clay: “Henry Miller in Brooklyn”
- May 4-6, 10-13, 19, 20, 2001 at Potrero Hill Neighborhood House
- Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 7 pm
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World Premier of a New Opera:
In the Roaring Twenties—before Paris, before Tropic of Cancer, before fame—struggling novelist Henry Miller shared a bed in a Brooklyn basement flat with his volatile wife June, an erotic dancer, and her lover Jeanne, a painter. These were the crazy bohemian days and nights that shaped a literary icon. Come see and hear this exciting, touching, and funny new-music drama by two noted Bay Area creators, on the coming-of-age of the writer who broke all the taboos. (In two acts, under 2 hours including intermission.) - PRESS:
Click here to download: - Press releases
- Calendar Listing
- Bios and Background Information
- Pictures
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- Benjamin Britten: “The Little Sweep”
- December 1-3, 8-10, 2000 at Goat Hall
- Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 2 pm
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An Opera for Young People in One Act
A Christmas Dickensian Delight— holiday entertainment for the whole family, especially children!
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- Kurt Weill: “Weill at Heart”
- October 13-15, 20-22, 27-29, 2000 at Goat Hall
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Cabaret songs from Brecht to Broadway
Celebrating the Centenary of Kurt Weill (1900-1950)
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Summer Festival on the Hill 2000
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- “Fresh Voices”
- An Evening of Love, War & Sex
- Premiering new music by Bay area composers and librettists
- Saturday, June 17, 8 pm and Sunday, June 18, 7 pm at Goat Hall
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- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: “The Magic Flute”
- Mozart Master Class, Dietrich Erbelding, Musical Director; Harriet March Page, Director
- Fully staged performances in English with “Virtual Orchestra”
- July 21-23, 28-30, August 4-6, 12, 2000 at Goat Hall
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- “Two Fish Out of Water”
- An Evening at Home with Harriet and Dave
- Written and performed by by Dave Hurlbert and Harriet March Page
- Saturday, August 26, 8 pm and Sunday, August 27, 7 pm at Goat Hall
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- Gian-Carlo Menotti & Samuel Barber: “The Medium” and “A Hand of Bridge”
- March 17-19, 24-26, 31-April 2, 2000 at Goat Hall
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- Gian-Carlo Menotti: “Amahl and the Night Visitors”
- December 10-12, 17-19, 1999 at Goat Hall
- December 3-5, 1999 at the Julia Morgan Theater, Berkeley
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Third annual reprise of the beloved holiday classic about a miraculous meeting between a poor boy who cannot walk and Three Kings following the Star to the Christ Child.
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- Tom Jones/Harvey Schmidt: “The Fantasticks”
- October 15-31, 1999 at Goat Hall
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Featuring well-known songs “Try to Remember” and “Soon it’s Gonna Rain,” this two-hour musical is a darkly humorous recasting of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” Since 1960 “The Fantasticks” has enjoyed a continuous run at the Sullivan Street Theater in New York City.
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Summer Festival on the Hill 1999
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- “Sweet Betsy From Pike”
- a Horse Opera in One Act by Mark Bucci
- Sunday, June 13, 2 pm and 7 pm at Goat Hall
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Kurt Weill/Bertolt Brecht:
“Mahagonny Songspiel”
Igor Stravinsky: “A Soldier’s Tale” - Berkeley Lyric Opera Orchestra
- Saturday, June 26, 8 pm at St. Gregory Nyssen Church, 500 DeHaro at Mariposa, SF
- Sunday, June 27, 7:30 pm at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave., Berkeley
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Kurt Weill/Bertolt Brecht:
“Mahagonny Songspiel”
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- “Out on the Porch”
- Original theater piece with music written and performed by Dave Hurlbert/Harriet March Page/Lynn Park
- Friday, July 9, 8 pm Saturday, July 10, 8 pm at Goat Hall
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- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: “Cos fan tutte”
- Mozart Master Class, Dietrich Erbelding, Musical Director/Pianist Harriet March Page, Director
- Fully staged Performances in English with Piano
- Saturdays at 8 pm, August 7, 14, 21, and 28
- Sundays at 5 pm, August 8 and 22
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- Weill/Brecht: “Threepenny Opera”
- April, 1999
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- Gian-Carlo Menotti: “Amahl and the Night Visitors”
- December, 1998
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- Leonard Bernstein’s “Trouble in Tahiti”
- October, 1998, with performances in San Francisco and Berkeley
GOAT HALL PRODUCTIONS: San Francisco Cabaret Opera
Horsewomen of the Apocalypse
St. Gregory’s Church
500 De Haro Street
@ Mariposa
(Potrero Hill)
San Francisco, CASaturday,
February 16, 2008, 8 pm - The White Horse
Inspirational, heroic, iconic women.Saturday,
April 19, 2008, 8 pm
The Red Horse
War and all related effects...
political, economic, domestic.Friday,
May 9, 2008, 8 pm
The Black Horse
Famine, plague or any disaster...
including traffic and the weather. -
